The Best Thing For Me
by GleekingSam
Summary: I entered this in a writing contest on Tumblr. Didn't win, but I wanted to share this with all of you! danisnotonfire (Dan Howell)/OC, mild language.


Leah tapped her foot repeatedly on the floor of the car, licking her lips every few minutes because they seemed to become dry every so often. She's not sure when it started, but she noticed her breathing became shorter and she was fiddling with her hair. She hadn't felt this nervous in a while, though she didn't have much to feel nervous about until he came along.

She had met Dan Howell while shopping for groceries for her mother, in the vegetables aisle. They both reached for the last cauliflower – it was a moment they'd neve really felt before. What it felt like to be infatuated in an instant with another person. That moment was short lived however, when he knocked it over onto her foot. He apologized over and over; she laughed it off and claimed it was just going to be a huge purple bruise. He smiled and made some kind of corny joke about tomatoes being a fruit. They talked throughout every section of the supermarket, even at the checkout. It wasn't until Dan loaded her last bag into the trolley that he blurted out he wanted to see her again.

During the first week, Leah took Dan to his first Aquarium visit, where he was terrified of the dolphins. In a month, she made a cameo in one of his YouTube videos and met Phil. In three months he decided to tell the YouTube community about her and they had their first fight about opinions of her on the internet. It was hard in the fourth month when her mother had passed away. All she could remember was a blurry Dan holding her for weeks pleading for her to be happy again, and kissing her hair. In the sixth month was their first 'I love you' proceeded by her first night over at the flat. The seventh month was much like the first, except that they both knew it was more than just infatuation. For some reason, he chose to let her love him and he felt incredibly lucky. They both did.

By the eighth month, Dan's parents were begging for him to introduce Leah to them and finally they settled on a date to meet. She hadn't felt this nervous since her first date with Dan.

So there Leah was, in the car, finding anything to fidget with while trying to keep her breath steady. She glanced over at Dan, who was concentrating on the road with his lips pursed, and his lanky form pressed against the chair. Inhaling deeply, she focused her eyes back onto the road again and continued to tap her foot.

Suddenly she felt warm skin press against her hand that almost hugged it. "Don't be nervous." Dan said calmly. Leah was shaken out of her daydream by his voice and tilted her head down and smiled slightly. "They're going to love you."

"As much as you love me?" Leah now turned her head to see his. It was amazing that just by saying few words he could calm her in seconds. And vice versa.

"Of course!" Dan sounded more enthusiastic now, which made her smile and shake her head a little. "Well… probably not in that way."

"I'd hope not. I wouldn't want more people scaring me with Delia Smith masks on while I'm in the shower." She rolled her eyes as she teased him, making sure to only sound half-serious.

"Hey that was one time, and you laughed yourself silly afterwards!" The car filled with laughter and Leah squeezed Dan's hand and then she said "You're impossible." That was usually their way of saying I love you. "Right back at you… oh this is the street!" Dan exclaimed turning the wheel.

Leah exhaled heavily and closed her eyes for a moment to put her thoughts in order. She was hoping the knot in her stomach would quickly go away. Meeting boyfriend's parents wasn't exactly her specialty, since Dan had been the first long-term relationship she'd ever had. Although, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe if she just acted herself, laughed at their jokes and-

"We're here." Dan instantly unbuckled his seat belt. "Oh god." Leah blurted out. She ran her fingers through her hair and twisted her body towards him. "I'm sorry, I'm sure they're not terrible people. I- I'm just-"

"Flipping your shit? I know. I kind of am too. But just stay by my side and if they try to attack you I'll use the power of Pythagoras on them." She chuckled at his video reference and cocked her head to the side. "Wow, my hero." She spoke flatly and sarcastically.

He smiled and laughed a little then suddenly moved forward and placed his lips on hers. Leah always loved his kisses. Mainly because they were always so spontaneous causing her to feel something new every time. She felt herself sigh into his arms while feeling his smile on hers. Just as she ran her fingers through his hair…

_BEEEEEEEP!_

Their lips parted swiftly and Leah gave herself a face palm. "Of course your butt fell on the car horn. Of course." Dan shrugged, still smiling with his face a tint of red. "I guess they know we're here. Now or never." He hastily got out the car and opened the car door for her, grabbing her hand as she walked out. _Sometimes I think we both forget what a gentleman he can be… _Leah mused.

All of a sudden, the couple were at the Howell's front door step. Dan was fiddling with his hair, as usual, while Leah tried to make her dress flatter by pressing it downwards. "This house hasn't changed." He said to himself. "Garden gnome's still there."

"Dan, justpressthefuckingdoorbell." She looked over at him pleadingly. "Jeez alright, you're lucky sarcasm is my second language."

As the chimes of the doorbell rung, she found herself holding his hand tightly, while seeing two silhouettes approach the door.

The door opened promptly and standing on the other side was a man primping his tie and a woman taking off her oven gloves and putting them on the small table beside her. They both gave a warm smile to Dan and Leah who were frozen in both uncertainty and hesitation.

"Daniel, oh god I've missed you." His mother almost squealed with excitement as she went to hug her son. Leah awkwardly stood there amongst the hugs and kisses and caught the eye of his father who smiled politely at her. She returned the smile and slowly tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Dear, don't just stand there; give your son a hug." Mrs. Howell gestured towards Dan. Mr. Howell smiled at her first then walked over to Dan. "Good to see you, how are you?" "I'm good… I'm good." Dan replied while being on the receiving end of a hug. Leah took note that he was slightly taller than his father but had the same hair and nose. He had his mother's eyes and smile.

"And… this must be Leah." Mr. Howell suddenly said, gesturing towards her. Guessing that was her queue, Leah stepped forward and shook both of their hands. "It's a pleasure to meet you both! Dan's told me such great things about you two." Mrs. Howell smiled proudly and laughed a little. "Oh, I think you two talk about more interesting things than parents!"

Dan smiled widely still not knowing whether to interject with a comment. He should have. "Oh don't worry, we just talk about what ways would be most effective in destroying a nation. Nothing serious." Leah blurted out, chuckling to herself. Dan had to contain the fits of laughter that were about to come out of his mouth.

"Right… uh, dinner is just about ready. The dining room is just on the left." Mrs. Howell picked up her oven mitts and began walking to the kitchen whilst Mr. Howell did nothing but give a little smile and followed his wife.

Leah turned to Dan looking very flustered and hit his arm playfully. _Oh my god_… she mouthed to him, mortified. She then rubbed her temples with her fingers and once again felt her heart beating faster. _Relax. _Dan mouthed back and took her hand, escorting her to the dining room.

Two hours later, all four were seated and all had finished their desserts, with nothing but crumbs and dirty serviettes left on their plates. Dan and Leah sat next to each other while adjacent to his parents.

"That was lovely cheesecake Mrs. Howell." Leah said enthusiastically, after two full minutes of silence in the house. She looked up and her eyes widened while wiping her mouth and taking a sip of wine. "Why thank you! You know it's a funny story about this recipe, my friend from work- oh god, I'm sorry. I'm starting to talk about myself again. How about this – Leah, what does your mother do?"

Leah felt her heart stop and she bowed her head, putting her cutlery down with a _clank_. In her peripherals, she saw Dan stiffen beside her and he scratched his head not sure of what to say to his parents. Leah didn't like to talk about her mother's death… or really much about her mother anymore. When her father had left them, it had always been those two. And now that she was gone, Leah felt alone sometimes… even when she was with Dan. The wound was still healing and it was starting to open up again.

"Mom, I know this sounds weird, but please don't mention-" "No, it's okay." Leah's voice was quiet, yet steady. "My mother um, passed away just over four months ago. She was a travelling make-up artist which is why I moved to London." She said that all in one breathe as she exhaled very loudly and unsteadily. Under the table, Dan brought his hand over onto hers and squeezed it.

"I'm very sorry." Mr. Howell spoke, his voice stern yet sympathetic. "What happened?"

"Dad." Dan said coldly. Leah never heard him speak like that. That was the most serious thing she had ever heard him say. She would have felt grateful if she wasn't in shock.

"No no, it- it's fine. It might be good for me to talk about it. Um, she was on her way to a client's house and was an hour late, so she ran a red light and crashed into-" Her breathing definitely became shorter and tears started to well in her eyes. Suddenly without warning, she stood up from her chair, trying to calm herself. In the process she spilt Dan and Mrs. Howell's drinks. "Oh god, I'm… I'm so sorry. I think I just need some air."

"Of… of course." Mrs. Howell softly said, not sure how else to respond. Leah quickly hurried out of the dining room feeling embarrassed and humiliated. She stopped though when she heard yelling, so curiosity got the better of her and she decided to move closer without being seen.

"Dad… wh-why would you ask that? Did you know she gets mild panic attacks when talking or even thinking about her mother? She barely even talks about it with me and her close friends." Okay Leah was wrong. _That_ was the most serious thing she had ever heard him say.

"I didn't mean to upset her. She said it would be good for her to talk about it so I let her." Leah could feel her head starting to spin. This wasn't the nice night she had planned in her head.

"But couldn't you tell she was getting uncomfortable at all?" Dan sat back down with a huff, producing a horrible noise from the chair. Mrs. Howell stared with disbelief at the two, feeling very confused and guilty.

"You said she gets panic attacks? Remember that lovely man you saw when you were younger – Mr. … Springer? If she just calls him-"

"Dad for god sakes, she doesn't need to see a therapist. It's only been four months, she's still allowed to grieve. Why are you being so inconsiderate?" This was the biggest fight Dan and his father have had since Dan almost set the curtains on fire from playing with matches.

Mr. Howell made a low grunting noise with his throat and leant his elbows on the table. "I'm just trying to help." Dan almost laughed out loud. He turned to his mother. "Mom, what do you think? You like Leah don't you? Say something!"

"Daniel. Don't talk to your mother like that. I understand your upset, and I'm sorry I made Leah upset, but why wouldn't it be a good idea to call Mr. Sprin-"

"BECAUSE I LOVE HER. Because I know that she's going to get through this if she surrounds herself with supportive and patient people. And I know that you think you're trying to do the right thing, but if it's okay to say so myself, I'm the best thing for her right now. And she has definitely been the best thing for me these past eight months. So just please, trust me on this." Dan was starting to sweat on his forehead from talking so fiercely. He hated fighting with people, especially people close to him. "I- I'm sorry." Dan mumbled to the floor.

"She's very lucky." Mrs. Howell then spoke while smiling at Dan. "And I'm sorry we weren't more welcoming to her in the first place. Isn't that right?" She gestured towards her husband who sighed deeply and looked straight at Dan. "She is… extremely lucky. And I should trust you more when it comes to helping people. I'm sorry, I'm proud of you Dan."

Leah, hearing the whole thing, quietly made her way back to the front door while trying not to be seen.

"Please. I'm the lucky one." Dan smiled, wondering in the back of his mind how this argument got so heated. "It's uh, it's getting late. Ther's probably waiting in the car, if you want to speak to her?"

Mr and Mrs. Howell both glanced at each other then shook their heads. "You two head on home, we'll call you tomorrow and talk to her then." Mrs. Howell paused while they all got up and headed for the front door. "We love you, sweetheart. Thank you for this… interesting dinner."

After awkwardly saying goodbye, Dan walked down to his car anxious of what might be waiting inside. They were both similar in many ways, but Dan was sturdier than Leah. And Leah was more understanding than Dan. That's what made them so strong as a pair, it just… worked.

Seeing her shadow in the passenger seat, Dan breathed in, opened and car door and hopped inside. "Okay, I know the last ten minutes of this night was a total disaster and now you're convinced that my parents are crazy and I assure you that-" He was distracted by laughter that was coming from the person next to him. "Are you laughing right now…?" He asked perplexed.

Sure enough, Leah was covering her mouth and laughing with her eyes closed and her mouth stretching from ear to ear. "Haha, oh god I, haha, I'm sorry, this is totally inappropriate right now. I- I don't even know why…" She stopped mid sentence, but not because she continued laughing. "This was the most awkward and weird experience I've had with another person's family." Dan nodded his head slowly, wondering where she was going with this.

"Hm, ok. I know your parents mean well. I'm honestly not sure how to handle what just happened back there because I've never had two parents who've… cared so much I suppose. I forgot how it felt to be the centre of discussion. Call me crazy, but I felt kind of, needed? And you're right, you know? You're the best thing for me right now."

Dan's eyes widened at the last sentence, and now he was blushing a little bit. "You heard that, huh?" Leah edged closer to his seat and smiled sweetly. "I love you so much." She simply said. Dan practically grabbed her arms and pulled her into a deep hug. She took in the scent of his hair and pressed her head against his neck, squeezing her eyes shut just trying to preserve this moment.

After a few minutes, they parted and Dan was the first one to break the silence. "Come to my flat, there's something I want to give you."

"Wow, you don't beat around the bush when it comes to sex do you?" Leah quickly retorted back, laughing as she did. Dan just laughed and started the engine to go back to the flat.

"Seriously, what is it?" Leah asked, sounding back to her normal self. They had just walked in the door and Dan just shook his head to say 'not yet'. She grumbled and then noticed Phil watching TV on the moon chair.

"Hey Phil!" She called to him. He looked over and did a little wave. "Hello you two, how was dinner?" Leah and Dan both looked at each other and Dan replied "Don't ask…" She smiled at him, but that smile quickly turned into a frown when Dan walked over to the couch and sat down to join Phil.

"Dan, didn't you bring me here to show me something…?" She confusingly said. Dan turned his head slightly and pointed his hand to the left. "Yeah soon, can you grab me a can of Coke from the fridge?"

She was a little dumbstruck but replied with a 'yes' anyway. As she left for the kitchen, Dan and Phil both turned to each other and smiled.

Leah walked over to the fridge still wondering why Dan couldn't just get a drink before getting comfy on the couch. She opened the fridge as the cool air prickled her skin and reached for a can when she saw something that made her freeze.

A cauliflower. With a big red bow on it. She grinned and picked it up, being very careful not to drop it.

"Happy eight months." She whirled around and Dan was standing in the entrance to the kitchen. "I'm sorry I distracted you from buying it when we first met, so I thought I'd-" Dan didn't get to finish his sentence because Leah had ran over and kissed him hard on the mouth. He deepened the kiss while stroking her hair and she smiled while he did so. It was nice to feel loved by someone who understood every part of you.

"Oh my god."

"What?"

"I'm crying over a fucking cauliflower."


End file.
